Affinium Awarded $4.8M Biodefense Contract

Two-year contract will lead a candidate to undergo preclinical development as an oral tularemia therapeutic.

Affinium Pharmaceuticals executed a $4.8-million contract with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to aid its research, which has relevance to potential biological warfare and bioterrorism agent.

The two-year contract will fund preclinical studies of selected compounds from Affinium’s fatty acid biosynthesis inhibitor portfolio that have demonstrated potential as therapeutics for the treatment of diseases caused by serious pathogens including Francisella tularensis.

Under the contract, Affinium will investigate the properties of a select group of its compounds. Following these initial investigations, the company and its partners will conduct microdosing studies to characterize the compounds’ human pharmacokinetic properties and select a lead development candidate to undergo IND-enabling preclinical development as an oral tularemia therapeutic.